Don't cry for me
by Santos J. Black
Summary: Who is really Mr. Sark? Why does he act the way he does? SARKOC
1. Chapter 1

**Don't cry for me**

Author: Santos J. Black

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Who truly is mysterious Mr.Sark?

Pairings: Sark/OC, Sidney/? (review and tell me who would you like her to be with)

Timeline: Everything up to the end of season 3, though a bit of AU.

Notes: I have no beta, so sorry for any mistakes. And also this is a story I had started to write like 4 years ago for SD-1 forum, now I'm older and I hope a bit better at English so it's re-written.

* * *

He couldn't believe what had happened, he still couldn't digest the fact that his mother had left him here, alone. He clenched his jaw as he lied down on the bed hugging the pillow as if nothing else mattered. Never in his twelve years of life, would he have thought his mother would have done that to him, his sweet mother. He hated her now. "I wish she died" he said sneering into the pillow.

"You shouldn't wish anyone dead" a small voice coming from behind him said. Turning quickly, breathing a little hard as his heartbeat started to settle. There, barely inside his new room doorway stood a little girl, with big hazel eyes and dark black hair. She stood there as if wanting to come nearer but at the same time afraid of doing so.

"Who are you?" Julian said to her as he sat up throwing the pillow he had been previously hugging to the end of the bed. It seems that the girl took the ten year old question as an invitation since she ran to the bed and threw herself onto it. "I'm Alek, and you're rude" she said glaring at him.

"I'm Julian and I'm not rude" he said glaring back. The girl then did something that would practically mark their relationship forever, she started laughing. And it was not any kind of laughing, but the kind that made Julian laugh too. It was a few minutes later when Julian was finally able to stop laughing after using the back of his hands to wipe the tears that had fallen.

"So, what are you doing here?" Alek asked him as she finally stopped giggling and sat crossed legged in front of him, reaching for the pillow he had discarded just moments ago hugging it to her. Julian shrugged, not even sure himself of why.

"My mom left me here, she said something about some kind of training" he said mimicking her position, picking at the comforter to try and maintain his hands occupied. "She left you too?" she asked, her voice as sad as he felt. Julian just nodded.

"My mommy left me a year ago" she said in a small voice "She said I had to live now with Aunt Irina". Julian then looked up to see her big hazel eyes looking at him; he gave her a sad half smile that she returned.

"I'm living here now too" he said, as if trying to understand it completely.

"Aleksandra!" someone yelled from down the hallway, making Alek jump up. "I have to go…" she said returning to him the pillow she had taken before. "See you later July" she said giving him a quick hug before running out of his room and down the hallway.

Julian stood in shock as the small girl ran out of his room, still unable to move after she had thrown her arms around him. "Julian" a stern voice made him refocuses of on who had said that.

He quickly jumped up and stood still as Irina walked into the room "Your mother left you under my care so you could do something with your life" she said as she walked around the room, with Julian following her every move.

She finally stood in front of him, she wasn't tall but Julian wasn't either so he still had to look up to watch her face. "First things first" she said running a hand trough his blond curls "You are no longer Julian Lazarey" he slightly nodded, still unsure about the whole ordeal. "From now on you are ought to be Julian Sark" she said as he took a handful of his hair and pulling at it making him give out a small cry of pain as she tugged even harder at that "Understood, Sark?" she sneered at him, letting go when he gave a slight nod.

She turned on her heels and started walking outside the room "Sark!" she barked as she felt that the kid was still unmoving, at his 'new' name he scampered after Irina, starting what was going to be the rest of his life.

It wasn't until the end of the day that he saw Alek again; sure he had seen glimpses of her trough the day, but he had been too busy trying to follow Ms. Derevko that he hadn't even been able to return her small smiles or waves.

He felt like crap, it had been a day of hell that was he sure of. Irina had made him do so many things that he was tired beyond anything he had ever experienced before. He hurt all over, since the whole morning he had spent learning martial arts, as Irina had said he was behind a lot of time. Then he had taken a good beating as they had made him fight with a guy that was at least six years older than him, more than a foot taller and almost a good 100 pounds heavier. After that he hadn't even been able to eat since he was sent to take a shower and change his clothes before they shipped him off with somebody to be fitted for a suit.

Julian cried out as he started to take off his jacket. "July!" he heard Alek cry out as she walked into his room, he tried to turn but was hurting too much to actually do it. He heard her move into the room, leave something on his bed and walked up to him.

She entered his line of vision and he was shocked to see her expression, the look of worry in her small face was too much even for him. "What happened?" the six year old asked as she carefully tried to help him take of his jacket. He gave her a little smile, not having the heart to tell her that she was hurting him more than she was actually helping him.

"Nothing, don't worry" She frowned and took his hand, carefully guiding him to the bed. He slowly followed, hissing as he sat down. She let go of his hand, and he couldn't explain what was what he felt at that moment. She ran to the door and closed it, before returning to him.

He made a dismissive gesture as he slowly moved his feet to lie down, trying not to cry out in pain, more because of her than because of anything. She gave him a sad smile as she took of his shoes, before going to pick something from the end of his bed. He gave her a small smile as he saw what the thing she had brought was. "I thought you might have been hungry, I didn't saw you at lunch or at dinner" she said in a small voice, not looking at him as he took the sandwich from the plate she held in her hands.

"Thank you" he said softly, trying to make her look at him. He couldn't help but return her full blown smile as she looked up at him. She then ran around the bed and climbed to lie down beside him. And for some reason, Julian felt that if he at least had her, this could be bearable.

* * *

Present day

Julian Sark opened his eyes as a new day started, well as a new day he hoped had started since he was inside the damned CIA cell he had been barely a year ago. He closed them again as he tried to return to the dream he had been having before he woke up to this nightmare.

It was a couple of minutes before he sighed and ran a hand trough his hair, or what was left of it. He hated here, he hated the whole thing. He sat on the hard cot and rested his head on the wall. He still couldn't believe they had caught him, for a second time and this time it seemed that for good.

He then smiled as he thought of the dream he had been having, the dream of his beautiful and amazing Alek. He closed his eyes as he tried to remember the last time he had seen her. It had been at least five years since that time; he still could picture her hazel eyes full of tears as she saw him leave her life for good.

He had made the right decision, for once in his life. He chuckled at that, the right thing to do, he doing the right thing to do…but when it came to her, he would do it in a heartbeat.

He was still going through his thoughts when he heard the distinct sound of hells walking down the hallway, and together with those hells came the sound of at least four more pairs of shoes. As they stopped in front of his cell, he smirked "Why do I owe this pleasure Agent Bristow?" he said, his eyes still closed.

Sidney glared at the agent that was standing besides her as she tried to stifle a laugh. Vaughn was the one to answer, not trusting either female while talking to the man inside the cell; one hated him too much while the other was better to be left alone at the moment.

"We have already told you Sark" he almost yelled at him "Information is what we need"

"Agent Vaughn" Sark said, still not opening his eyes and still smirking "How is the wife?"

"That was over the line Julian" the agent that had been trying to stifle a laugh moments before said her voice low. Sark's eyes shot opened and he turned to stare at the agent that was currently standing between Sidney and Vaughn. She was five feet tall, jet black short hair, big hazel eyes. Their eyes connected as he stood up and walked up to the glass that was between them.

She moved slowly towards him as he did towards her. "Alek?" he whispered as he reached the glass, one of his hands moving to touch the glass over where her face was. She nodded, slowly touching the glass over where his hand was.

A lone tear fell from the corner of her eye as she watched Sark bit his crooked lip, the familiarity to the gesture almost making her burst out in uncontrollable sobs. "Hey…don't cry" Sark whispered, wanting more than anything to be able to put his arms around her and just hold her.

"Agent Derevko" Weiss voice called from behind her, she nodded and gave Sark a sad smile before stepping away from the glass. "I need to talk to him, alone" she said, her voice hard and professional, her crisp accent, so alike to Sark's resounded in the hallway.

"No" Vaughn said, moving to take her elbow and try to drag her away from the cell. Even Sidney reacted at that, while Alek pulled away from Vaughn with more force than necessary, Sidney stepped between them. "What are you doing?" her voice harsher than Sark would have thought it would have been.

"She's not to be alone with him, they have history together!" Vaughn's tone made Sark smirk, so things were not perfect in their little world… for some reason, agent's Vaughn misery made him a tad happier.

"And that's why you try to manhandle her?" Sidney answered with the same tone "You know what? Go!" she said pointing to the end of the hallway.

Vaughn made a strange noise, send Sark a glare before turning and walking down the hallway. Sidney then turned to look at her young cousin with worry on her face "Are you alright?"

Sark watched the whole ordeal with interest, it seemed that Sidney was already smitten with her young cousin as he was, that woman longed for a family as much as he did.

"I could have handle it" Alek said, her voice a little annoyed. Sidney didn't seem to decipher that and just nodded. She looked at Sark, who looked ready to murder Vaughn a minute before and reached her decision. She came close to her cousin and hugged her, whispering in her ear as she did so "the camera is in the top left corner, no audio" as she moved back she glared at Sark.

"Eric?" Sidney turned to Weiss and nodded. He sighed and gestured to the guards to open the door. Alek gave her cousin a grateful smile before stepping into Sark's cell, turning to look at him as he moved sideways to let her enter. Neither of them moved as they felt the gate close, or as they heard the rest of the agents moving down the hall, their eyes never leaving each other.

* * *

14 years ago

"If someone comes, I'm so going to leave you here" Julian said to his best friend as she stepped on her tiptoes, reaching to try to grab the football her aunt had put away after she had failed to do her homework because she had been playing. "Stop moving" Alek whispered to Julian as she stumbled a little "Just a little more".

Julian sighed and stepped on his tiptoes, holding onto Ale's ankles even harder as the young girl was standing on his shoulders. "Yes!" she whispered excited as she finally was able to get her hands on her ball and brought it down, she just jumped back from Julian's shoulders to land exactly in front of his glare. She gave him a sheepish smile before taking his hand and running out of her aunt's office, down the hall and to her room.

After entering her room, she let go of Julian's hand and launched herself to her bed, her ball safely hugged to her. Julian meanwhile had closed her door behind them, to prevent being caught both at the time it was and helping her.

"July! Catch" he had barely turned when the ball hit him in the face. He clutched his nose as Alek rolled in her bead in laughter. It was moments like this when Julian truly felt like the kid he was suppose to be, like the eleven year old he was meant to be and not the person Irina wanted him to be.

* * *

Present day

As soon as all the agents had left their line of vision, Alek just threw herself into Sark. Her face pressed to his chest, as her arms went around his waist. Sark was at lost at first, more shocked than anything. He was still unsure if she was really here, if she wasn't just a part of his imagination.

As the front of his shirt started to feel rather wet he finally reacted, he put his arms around her hugging her to him. He lowered his head to smell her hair, planting small kissed at the top of her hair at the same time.

Slowly he started walking backwards until the back of his legs hit the cot, where he sat, pulling her into his arms even more. He wasn't sure how long they sat that way, with her in his arms, her head in the crook oh his neck as her hands clutched the front of his shirt like crazy while he had her over his lap, with his arms around her small body.

It was until her tears finally stopped that she looked up at him, she gave him a teary smile before reaching and whipping the couple of tears that he had shed without even noticing. "Hi" she said shyly, giving him a happier smile.

"Hello" he answered, smiling at her too. He then reached and kissed her forehead as her arms went to round his neck.

"I missed you" she whispered, resting her head against his chest once again, not moving from his lap. "I know, so did I" he said, giving her a little squeeze "…but what are you doing here?" he asked, once of his hands moving to take one of hers entwining his fingers with hers.

"Conjugal visit?" Sark said, smiling. He even chuckled as the hand that was still resting in the back of his neck, moved and hit him behind his head. "So I take that as a no" he moved then their hands to kiss the back of hers.

"You've been here for at least seven months" she said her voice not completely professional but obviously meaning business "I transferred six months ago from MI6".

Julian closed his eyes and sighed, at least that meant she had been away from Irina some time now. "So you know" his eyes still closed.

He felt her nod, and dropped his head. "I'm sorry" he whispered.

"No you're not" she said, sadness etched on her voice "I moved here because I encountered Sidney in a mission, and well I don't have anybody else". She started running the hand she had around his neck softly up and down. "It wasn't until recently that I found that you were being captive, they wanted information so I said that I might be able to get it from you"

She felt the change in him before he did anything. Slowly she stood from her position in his lap and turned her back to him, taking off her jacket while she walked towards the opposite wall. She threw the jacket down and sat crossed legged over it, her back to the wall looking at him. He sat with his elbows over his knees resting his head on his hands.

"After you left" her voice cracked at that, thing that made Julian looked up "I was alone, all alone" at his look, she turned to look at the floor "I went snooping around, and found some things I shouldn't had found" she cleared her throat before continuing "The people Aunt Irina left to take care of me, were so mad that I thought they were going to kill me, so I ran"

Sark's hands clenched into fits at the thought of anyone hurting her, he was focusing so much on finding who they were that he almost didn't hear the rest of the story.

"I ran to London, were I stayed on the streets for some time before I found a crappy job" he looked at her at that, he couldn't imagine her sleeping on dirty streets of London, alone, needing him while he was living the life he led doing the things he did to people.

Slowly, he stood up and moved to sit besides her in the cold floor. He put an arm over her shoulders, pulling her to him. His other hand took hers back, running circles over the back of it. "I was working as a waitress when a woman approached me after my shift, she told me she knew who I was and that she wanted me to work for them"

"I told them I wanted nothing to do with my family, or their business but they say I was suppose to work for the other side" he could hear the smile on her face, so he turned to look at her only to find her looking at him.

"Spend a rather small time in training, since we had practically grown up to do this and then I was in the field" She finished with a shrugged, as if it was nothing.

"Thank God I didn't encounter you during a mission" Sark muttered, more to him than to her.

She chuckled at that, patting his leg. He just kissed the top of her head once more before looking up as he heard a throat clearing. He had been so preoccupied with Alek that he hadn't seen that Agent Bristow was back. He sneered at her before looking down at Alek as he stood up, he offered her a hand that she took and he helped her up.

Her back was still to the glass, so Sark pressed his forehead to hers rubbing his nose softly against hers "per sempre" he whispered as he dropped her hand and moved back. She gave him a last sad smile before turning and gesturing to her cousin to open the door that closed as soon as she was outside. She gave him a last look before walking down the hallway, both she and her cousin silent.

Julian Sark returned to lie down on his cot, his hands behind his head. He was starting to close his eyes when he saw Alek's jacket from the corner of his eye. He gave a sideways glance at the camera as he grabbed it, a weird thought going to his head. He reached inside of it and sure, there was a note.

He returned to the cot, lying down on his side, facing the wall and away from the camera. He half folded the jacket and put it under his head as a pillow, breathing in her vanilla scent as he opened the note. What he read inside just made him smile as he started to drift to sleep once again.

* * *

13 years ago

"Hey elf" Julian Sark said to his best friend as he dropped besides her on her bed. Eight year old Aleksandra was lying on her side away from him, one of her hands clutching something as the other one played with a piece of her hair. Sark frowned at her lack of reaction and reached to take whatever was preventing her of putting her attention on him.

"Hey!" she turned glaring at him as he look at the picture he had taken from her. He turned to his side as she reached to take it back, his bigger and more muscular frame not letting her. "Give it back!" she practically yelled at him as he looked at a picture of a girl, he raised his eyebrows at that it was nothing special. "July!" he turned to look at her when he heard her voice break. She was laying on her side besides him her eyes full of tears.

He slowly gave her the photo back, his gloved hand moving to wipe the tears that had fallen from her eyes. "Sorry, please don't cry" he whispered to her as he put his arm around her and drew her to him. She stuck out her tongue at him before moving to rest comfortably on his arms, as if it was a common occurrence.

A few minutes passed before either of them talked, something that to Sark's amusement was a never before seen for Alek. "She's my cousin" she whispered, putting the photo were both of them could see it. "She's pretty isn't she?" the awe on her voice making him smile. Sometimes he forgot how young she really was.

"I stole it from Irina's" she whispered, turning her head to look up at him. He rolled his eyes knowing Irina would never know what had happened. He turned to look at the photo again, recognizing some of his mentor on the girl from the picture as well as some characteristics that were present on the girl that was currently on his arms.

"When I'm older I want to be like her" Alek whispered, her eyes still on the photo of Sidney as she graduated from high school. "I don't think you can" Sark's voice made her look up again, this time with question on her eyes

"You will never be tall enough", Alek's only response was a pillow to his face.

* * *

Present day

"Are you alright?" Sidney asked her younger cousin as they sat in a small café a few blocks from the CIA building. She had been watching Alek closely ever since she had left Sark's cell and a huge change had happened on her usually annoyingly hyperactive cousin.

Alek looked up from the napkin she had been shredding to look at her cousin's concerned eyes; she gave her a small smile and shrugged before pushing away the small pieces of paper that had fallen over her pants.

"So you and Sark…" that had made Alek actually focus on her cousin, her glare only making the older woman laugh out loud before Alek blushed madly. "What do you mean with that?"

"Ohhh no…" Sidney said, still laughing while Alek was in between trying to escape and glaring at her. "Spill…"

"There is nothing to spill, cousin" her clear British accent, so much like Sark's making Sidney start giggling again. "Of course there is something…" she rolled her eyes "What was that entire skimmo kiss and 'per sempre' mushy thing?" this just made Alek glare harder.

Sidney rolled her eyes before throwing her cousin the bread roll she had in her hands. Alek caught it and rolled her eyes, giggling a little. "It's Julian" she said as if that explained everything.

"It's Sark" Sidney said with the same tone, making both of them roll their eyes in an identical way. "It's not Sark; Sark is cold, calculating and suave"

"And Julian isn't?"

Alek laughed at that "No he isn't" a full blown smile on her face as she spoke of him "Julian is a huge dork, who let me do anything I wanted to him, with whom I learn to dance when I was eight because Irina was making him learn and he needed a partner, he's my best friend"

Sidney made a face at her description of a man they both knew "Are you sure that's the same man we saw just now?" Alek rolled her eyes and nodded.

"It's like you" She said, completely serious "Actually you and him aren't that different" Sidney snorted at that "Believe me… you aren't"

Sidney gave the waiter a smile as he left them their food before returning to look at her little cousin, she looked happier, she looked excited. "You love him, don't you?"

Alek's eyes shot up to meet her cousins, waiting to see disgust or hate on them but only found compression and love. She slowly nodded, as if still not sure oh what her cousin's reaction was going to be. "Really?" Sidney asked her voice full of disbelief.

"Yes, I love him" Alek said, her voice firm as if wanting to drive her cousin's doubts away. "You have no idea what we have been trough together" Alek said as a small sad smile appeared on her face.

"Tell me?" Sidney asked, moving a hand over the table to put it over Alek's. "I want to see what you see in him…" she squeezed her hand "Because the person that you described is completely different from the one I know"

"As I say, it's like you" She held up her free hand to stop her cousin's protest "When he is working he is different, just like you are, just like I think everybody in our field is". At that Sidney had to nod, after all she was a clear example of that.

"He's funny, and sweet and stubborn as hell" she said chuckling a little, making Sidney smile at her description "He's a smart ass, though I do think that stays in his Sark persona…"

"That definitely stays" Sidney said, making Alek laugh. "We were everything for each other" she said turning more serious "He was there when I needed, just as I was there when he needed someone"

"I whish I had someone like that while I was growing up" Sidney confessed "I was mostly a loner, and with dad gone on missions I was almost always alone" she made a face at that "Well I had Will, but that was once he was over his only boys stage during junior high"

"Life at Irina's wasn't easy Sid" she made a face at that "We were usually treated more as soldiers than as kids, I was five when my mother left me there and Julian was ten when his mother abandoned him a year after"

"We had a lot of issues with loving people and with people leaving us… that I think was what made us hang onto each other so much"

"How old is he?" Sidney asked her cousin, trying for some reason to make the smaller girl think of something less painful.

"He's 24, he'll be 25 in three days"

"Shit!" Sidney said while she ran a hand trough her brown hair "Really just 24?!"

Alek nodded a smirk on her face as she did so. "He's young…" Sidney started "He's too young if I say so… Good God and he have already been held by the CIA for two years…"

Alek shrugged "Aunt Irina did say he was had a bright future in what now that I go over those conversations meant this field…"

At the mention of her mother's name Sidney's eyes refocused on her cousin "How do you do that? Go from calling her Aunt to first name basis so easily"

"It's just...there were times when she was less of an evil than others" Alek started playing with the straw of her coke "there were times when I actually thought she might have been my aunt, but there were others when she just pushed too hard for me to think of her as anything other than someone who wanted me to be something I didn't wanted to be"

Their talk was interrupted by Sidney's cell. As Sidney answered Alek let her mind wander, was she going to be able to see Julian again? Did he still love her? She sighed at that, even if he did there was nothing she was going to be able to do, he was a prisoner of the CIA.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump as she look up to see her cousin standing next to her. "It was Dixon, he needs us back" Alek nodded and stood up, taking out a bill from her pocket and putting it over the table before rushing after Sidney, silently walking back to the CIA building as her mind wandered back to a certain dirty blond blue eyed spy.

* * *

Sark shifted in the small cot once again. It had been at least three hours since her visit and he still couldn't wipe the stupid smile he had on since he saw her. He still couldn't believe it was her, but even if he tried to talk himself out of believing it, at the same time he was a hundred percent sure it was his beautiful girl.

It had been five years since he had left her, today of all days he had been thinking about that. He still could close his eyes and picture the exact moment of their good bye.

She had refused to talk to him since the moment he had told her he was leaving and never coming back, she had yelled at him that he was abandoning her, that he didn't loved her enough. He had spent the last three days trying to get her alone but she hadn't let him be near her. After all she hadn't been trained almost exactly as he had been and not learn a thing or two.

It was a few hours before he had to leave when he walked into her room. The whole house had been in complete silence as the clock on top of her TV turned to mark 2:00 am. He had quietly closed the door and walked up to her bedside. He had stood there, over her studying her young face as he tried to engrave it into his mind.

He had felt a pang of regret as he saw the tear marks on her white cheeks, tears that he had made her shed. His heart broke as he saw she was hugging as if there was no tomorrow a stupid stuffed ninja turtle that he had given her as a present the year they had met.

He had fallen on his knees, resting his head next to hers as she sleep. The movement had woke her up, her eyes opening slowly as he continued to look at her. Her hazel eyes recognizing him immediately as they opened, while his eyes begged her to forgive him for what he had to do.

Her small hand moved to rest on his cheek, as she gave him a sad half smile. His eyes filled with tears as he turned to kiss her palm. It was as if that simple gesture had broken a damp, since tears started falling like never before. He climbed into her bed, hugging her to him as the two of them sobbed into each other. They had cried until they had no more tears left, too tired to move but afraid of going to sleep because that would mean their time was up.

"I love you" Julian had whispered to her, to which she had only answered with a nod that he had felt since she had her head over his chest. "Per sempre" She had hugged him at that, puling herself up to kiss him, telling him everything she couldn't at the moment with that kiss.

They had kiss for some time, before he felt as sleep started gaining on her. She had fallen asleep hugging him like there was no tomorrow, thing that in that case had been true. As the clock in front of him turned to 5:00 Am, Sark had slowly moved her so she was lying on the bed. He had kneeled besides her, tucking a piece of her black hair, which always was wild in the mornings, behind her ear before planting a last kiss on her lips before standing up.

He had taken a last look at the room that was his sanctuary, before dropping a letter he had been carrying on his pant pocket on her night table and walking away from her for what he believe was going to be forever.

Sark turned on his cot once again as he remembered what had been the hardest thing he had ever done. To walk away from her had meant to let Julian Lazarey truly die, had meant to leave the last part of him that had been left untouched by his profession, it had meant to walk away from the only happiness he had ever felt.

* * *

**That's it so far, I've re written this as I said before…. If there is someone who actually read the original (which I doubt) well I hope you guys feel is better written….**

**Please review!!! That way I'll be happier and I might write faster… though I say I will finish this… eventually I will….**


	2. Chapter 2

**Don't cry for me**

Author: Santos J. Black

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Who truly is mysterious Mr.Sark?

Timeline: Everything up to the end of season 3, though a bit of AU.

Notes: I have no beta, so sorry for any mistakes. And also this is a story I had started to write like 4 years ago for SD-1 forum, now I'm older and I hope a bit better at English so it's re-written.

Thanks to: Rach2503 (sorry… no Sarkney… I meant between the other guys: Vaughn, Will… Weiss?) and Lady Marauder for their reviews!

* * *

**11 years and some months ago**

As Julian pushed Alek's room door open his ears were immediately assaulted by a catchy romantic pop song and as he looked up he couldn't help but chuckle at the image that appeared before him. There were times when he felt that he couldn't go on, that his life at the simplest age of thirteen was too much to bear, but that all changed the moment he returned here and saw something like what he was seeing.

He stopped before he could interrupt, and leaned on the doorframe crossing his arms in front of his chest trying not to laugh too loud. There in top of her bed was Alek, standing with her hair loose, in what he realized were some of his training shorts and one of her way-too-big-for-her football jerseys singing and jumping around the bed along with the song.

He ran a hand trough his hair as he entered the room, finally closing the door behind him. It wasn't until then when the nine year old girl finally turned and noticed his presence. "Julian!" She yelled and proceed to practically jumped from the bed to the already opened arms of the before mentioned boy.

"Hey midget" he said, burring his face in her dark vanilla scented hair. After their small tender moment, the rather tom boy-ish girl pushed Sark away before practically jumping and hitting him behind the head "don't eve do that to me again! You were gone for a month! A month!"

Unconsciously a hand went behind his head, to rub where she had hit as she turned her back on him and went to turn down the music. "Come on midget" he said not really realizing the whining on his voice "It was not because I wanted to be away for that long, you know me" he opened his arms as if gesturing that he didn't wanted to be anywhere but where he was standing.

"Whatever" she muttered, practically throwing the brush she had previously been using as a mic onto her nightstand as she sat on the bed her back to Julian.

It was true she was usually mad at him when he took too long to return from the missions Irina had started sending him together with some of the more experienced agents, but she knew he couldn't do anything to change it.

"What's wrong love?" he asked her as he detected her defeated stance. She shrugged before lying down on her side. Julian slowly went around the bed and kneeled besides her, trying to get her to look at him. Her eyes were closed, a frown on her young face. "Tell me, please" he asked her softly as he ran a hand over her face softly. At that gesture, a small giggle started to erupt from her lips as the frown started to disappear.

As his hand passed close to her mouth, she turned her head towards his hand and tried to bite him suddenly. At his surprise yelp a laughed finally escaped Alek's mouth as she opened her eyes to stare directly onto Julian's "hey, no biting!" he said half scolding half laughing, happy that she seemed to finally forgive him. She just stuck her tongue out at him.

"So, now that it seems that I've been forgiven… mind you telling me why where you mad at me in the first place?" At his words her frown returned, before she turned on her side to give him her back. Julian sighed and rolled his eyes as he moved to sit beside her on the bed. He leaned over her, putting an arm on each side of her as he tried to look at her in the eye.

"Come on Alek, I'm tired and I really missed spending time with you" at his words her face softened and she half turned to look at him. "You forgot"

Sark frowned at that, what had he forgotten?. It was then when he saw it, the calendar stuck on the side of the poster she had on the wall with a circle over the sixth of June. "Ohh Alek" he said not finding the words to express himself "I'm so sorry" he leaned and warped his arms around her "I'm so so sorry" he kept muttering as he hugged her to him.

"Don't worry Jules" she said after a while "I'm sorry I was being such a baby" Julian sighed, knowing that more than anger what she had been feeling was sadness and loneliness. He moved and kiss her on the forehead "Happy birthday love"

* * *

**Present day**

Alek groaned as daylight filtered through the blinds of her room, barely opening her eyes to take a look at the clock that stood over her television on the other side of the room. "Oh shit!" in two strides she was already on the shower. Five minutes later, she was taking her cell phone, gun and keys as she practically ran from the apartment she shared with her cousin who had left early to work.

Thirty minutes later she arrived at the headquarters, her short black hair in her usual style, make up as usual. She smiled as she made her way towards the elevators that would take her to her floor fidgeting as she looked at her watch.

A few minutes later she had finally reached her desk, sitting and trying to look as if she had been there the whole time, not almost two hours late. It was then when all movement stopped in the floor as the doors of the elevator swung open to revealed five armed officers that moved out to for some kind of perimeter as a sixth one wheeled a person who was standing over a platform with its head covered out of the elevator.

She turned to look as most of the other agents did; frowning as she saw them wheeled the prisoner past her towards one of the meeting rooms. It was after they had passed that she saw her cousin, Eric, Vaughn and Jack standing by some monitors that showed the room where the man was being held.

She made her way towards them, averting her eyes as Jack glared at her. "I'm going to start the interrogation, if this does not make him talk you'll have your chance agent Vaughn" Vaughn nodded as Jack turned and walked away, leaving the four of them standing in front of the monitors.

"Glad you could join us cousin" Sidney said, her voice teasing. Alek rolled her eyes and dropped herself in a chair that let her watch as they shoved the man roughly to a chair before they cuffed him onto the chair.

"Who are we…" her phrase died as the guards uncovered the men's identity "Ohh sod off"

Sark glared at Jack as he started talking, showing him pictures of what could happen to him if he didn't cooperate. He had half tuned him out, trying to find a way that would let him see her again, would she be here?

"Is that your final answer?" Sark smirked before answering "Are you making me a millionaire?" thing that made Jack clench his fist trying not to wipe himself the smirk out of his face.

A nock on the door made Jack look at the guard signaling him to open the door, where Michael Vaughn entered. Jack glared at him before he stood, sneered at Sark one last time and left the room. Vaughn nodded to the guard who nodded in returned and left the room as he moved closer to the table rolling his sleeves as he walked while Sark resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he remembered this same thing happening seven month earlier. "It seems, that for some reason you do not learn" Vaughn said as he walked closer to Julian "That if there is someone in here that can hurt you and get me to talk more than anyone it's me"

Sark laughed at that, making Vaughn's jaw clench even more "There is someone who can hurt me more than you could ever… though the talking part could have been giving to your wife to certain extend, she made me yell like" he couldn't even finish the sentence when Vaughn had slammed him into the table, exactly like he had done seven months before.

"Seems like your imagination is certainly lacking, Agent Vaughn" he said, tasting the blood that started to poor from his nose into his mouth. Vaughn sneered and pushed him forward; slamming his hands into the table, making him scrunch his face in pain as he was sure something broke inside of them.

"Want me to get more imaginative?"

"If there is a slim chance I'll talk" Sark said, his voice not reveling a hint of pain "I would have to request something"

Vaughn's threw a punch to the younger man's face that connected on his left cheek with a sickening sound before answering "We do not answer to terrorist requests"

"Let me rephrase then" his cheek hurt like hell, as Vaughn slammed him into the table once again "I'll talk, but only to agent Derevko" Vaughn punched him again, this time in stomach as he had pushed to make him look into his eyes.

Vaughn laugh out loud and was about to punch him again when the door open to reveal Jack Bristow. "Agent Vaughn, outside" Vaughn nodded, pushed Sark to the table and left the room, leaving Julian bloody but with a smirk on his face knowing he was about to get what he wanted.

Meanwhile, Sidney had been looking at her cousin as they watch Vaughn interrogate Sark. Her eyes on the monitor, her hands gripping the sides of her chair so hard her knuckles were turning white. As Sark request was made, she had immediately stood up and without a word started walking to where the holding area was, knowing that they needed this information and that they were going to make her interrogate him.

As she neared the area, she encountered Jack "Agent Derevko, I'm sure Sidney has told you what it is we need to know" with a nod from her he moved towards the area she had been coming from, a smirk on his face once no one could see him as if knowing what was about to encounter agent Vaughn.

Vaughn was unrolling his sleeves when he was pushed against the door for Sark's cell. "You touch him again, and I'll kill you" Alek's voice barely above a whisper, as she had her hands on his shirt as she pushed him against the door. With a sneer she let him go, turning to leave her gun to the officer before pushing him out of the way to open the door.

Sark looked up from the table as he saw the door open, and a pissed off Alek walked into the room. He sniggered as she turned and slammed the door practically on the nose of the guard that tried to get in after her and a rather afraid looking agent Vaughn.

"So what I heard just now was Agent Vaughn being shoved to the door?" he asked, trying to smile at her as she turned to look at him. She didn't smile as she walked up to him, her eyes bright with tears as she pulled him from the table, turning his chair so she kneeled in front of him.

She gently took his hands in hers, not speaking afraid that her voice would break. "Hey, don't cry" Julian told her softly "you know I hate when you cry"

She finally turned to look up at his eyes, a sad half smile on her face. He tried to smile as much as he could to her, but grimace when the simple act made his face hurt all over. She slowly leaned and kiss his hands that were being held softly by hears "You should have told him what you know" her voice barely above a whisper.

He tried to turn his hands to take hers, but the simple movements making him almost cry out in pain. "I think at least the right one is broken" He just nodded as she traced softly the bruises on his face not caring the fact that her hand was now probably covered in blood. Without a word she rose to take of her jacket and after that the white shirt she was wearing underneath.

Sark raised his eyebrow "Baby, it might be a little difficult with me being cuffed to the chair" she chuckled at that, shaking her head as she finished taking off the shirt only to reveal a white tank top. She then moved back to him, slowly and gently starting to clean the blood from his face with her shirt.

Sark basked in her attention, not being able not to close his eyes and moved his face to try and touch her hand as she moved her shirt from side to side wiping the blood off.

"So what now Jules?" she asked him after she had gently prodded at his broken nose "Now I tell you all they want to know" his blue eyes didn't moved from her dark green ones as she looked down at him "You could have done that, before this" she said, gesturing to him with the now bloodied white shirt. He smirked at that "But then… what reason was there to be able to see you?" his cheeky smirk, even while his face was starting to swell made her reach and peck him in the corner of his mouth.

"A soft answer turneth away wrath" he whispered as she rolled her eyes and moved to push him back to the table, careful of his hands. She then sat at the other side of the table, smiling at him as he started talking without her asking the questions.

* * *

Sark tried not to smile as Alek guided him out of the room he had been interrogated in, not letting the guard that made as if to touch him get near with a simple glare. Jack nodded at her as she walked pass him, her hand on his shoulder as they made their way to the elevator that would take them to where he was going to get checked. It seemed that the information he had given her was enough, at least for now, so he was going to get treatment for his bruises and his probably broken hand and wrist before he was transported back to his cell.

As they boarded the elevator, two other officers plus Sidney and agent Vaughn went with them. Alek gently pushed him towards the back of the lift, where she rested her back while her hand traveled down his arm softly as if she was soothing him. He saw as Vaughn tried not to look in their direction, disgust, guilt and maybe some fear on his face. Sidney took the same position her cousin but on her other side thing that made Sark smile softly as he watched how the older agent kept giving her younger cousin sideway glances as if worried about her.

A minute later they finally reached the floor that was their destination and they walked out. The two armed men in front, while he and Alek walked before Sidney and Vaughn. As they reached their destination, Alek proceed to walked him up to the gurney, gestured him to sit and the lay on it. She took off his handcuffs before she moved and put them cuffing the already cuffed feet to the gurney. As soon as he had his hands free he wanted to reach for her and bring her to him but he knew he couldn't, first because they had at least three agents that just needed a simple reason to shoot him, and secondly because his right hand was so swollen he could barely move his fingers.

She came close to him, and not caring for the other agents kissed him in the forehead. With a last smile she ran a hand trough his blond hair before moving back and leaving with both Sidney and Vaughn.

* * *

"What happened between you and Vaughn?" Sidney asked a while later when they were back in their desks, having noticed the weird vibe going between her cousin and her boyfriend. Alek blushed and looked down, making Sidney raise an eyebrow at her demeanor.

"Ale?" her questioning tone made her raise a hand to rub her neck, a gesture she had picked meant she was nervous about something. She grimaced "I might have kinda threatened him"

"What?!" Sidney almost yelled, remembering at the last minute where they where.

"I was mad!" she said as if that was reason enough to do it "You have seen him what? The total of three hours and you are already acting like him" Sidney said, hate in her words as she blamed Sark for her cousin's behavior.

"Don't you dare Sidney!" Alek answered, her voice stern "Don't you dare to blame this on Julian"

"Why can't I blame this on him? Before you had any kind of contact with him, things were going fine and now you are acting like a total stranger!"

"I thought you above everyone would understand" Alek said, betrayal in her voice "Understand what? That a wanted terrorist appears and you start acting like he's some kind of innocent that doesn't deserve anything we throw at him?"

"I know he's no innocent, but I'm not either… or you for that case!" At that point she stood, pushing the chair back with too much force making it collapse. "Ohh bugger!" she almost yelled as she turned to pick it up. "Alek, I didn't…"

"You are a hypocrite! You would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed!" she said, sneering. "I can't take this… I'm off" Alek turned and walked towards the stairs, not sure she could take being stuck in there any longer.

* * *

Sark counted yet again the tiles in the sealing as she laid cuffed to the gurney. He was still being held there, since just minutes before they had finished bandaging him up from his small encounter with Vaughn. The only thing that needed more than cleaning were his wrists, the right one was broken while the left one was sprained… so he lay now in the CIA gurney with improvised cuffs since the normal ones didn't fit over the cast he had on his wrist.

He heard the door open, and tried to move so he could see who had entered the room where he was being held. "Agent Bristow, fancy meeting you here" his sarcasm not lost to Sidney. She moved more into the room, up until she was standing beside him peering down at Sark. "He did do a number on you, didn't he?" she said, as she took in his bruised face, that had several cuts and the state of both his wrist.

He chuckled, the usual smirk on his face "You know what they say… Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." Sidney's straight face didn't waver, making Sark rolled his eyes "What is it that you want Agent Bristow?"

Sidney sighed and had to fight the urge to smack him, knowing that if her cousin ever heard she would not be easily forgiven "It's not because of you I'm here Sark" she spitted out his name as if it was something horrible "Then why do I have the pleasure of your company?" his sarcasm was not lost to Sidney who glared at him, thing that just made him smirk even more.

"My cousin" was her only answer as she stared at him, trying to see if anything changed at the simple mention of the younger woman "Agent Derevko?" Sark asked, eyebrows raised as if shocked she was asking him about her "Why would that be a topic of conversation among us?" the sarcasm was lost to Sidney this time, as she saw red at the possibility of Sark playing her cousin. Sark didn't even saw the hand that smack him in the forehead, making the back of his head slam against the rather thin mattress of the gurney "Hey! What was that for?!" He yelled, losing his cool for once, sick of being manhandled right and left.

"That's for… for… for being you!" Sidney yelled back, sick of the whole situation. Sark mumbled something, as he frowned and glared at Sidney who had to fight the sudden need she had to stick her tongue out at the young spy. "Arghh I can't do this" she said running a hand trough her hair as she looked anywhere but at the man her cousin seem to love with so much fervor. "Do you have to be such a pain in the ass?" she asked him metaphorically "Do you have to be such a stuck up?" his answer made her jump a little, since she was not expecting one. "This was a bad idea" she muttered as she turned and started to stalk out of the room, as her hand reached to the knob Sark's voice stop her.

"What do you want to know about her?" his voice, softer than she had ever heard it while directed at her made her turn back but not get closer. He was no longer trying to look at her as he had been moments before, his eyes on the sealing as it was when she first entered. "She said that you know each other" she said carefully not wanting to give everything she actually knew about their relationship. Sark scoffed "You could say that" she heard him mutter as he rolled his eyes, thing he seem to do a lot "She does the same thing" that made him turn to look at her, as she took a chair and sat a few feet from the gurney. At his questioning gaze she continue "The whole eye roll thing, she does that a lot too"

That brought a soft smile at Sark's face, thing that made Sidney notice that if it was even possible he looked even better. "I picked it up from her" he said, laughter in his voice. Sidney had to smile at that, after all the small girl was her only family other than her father. "She's really mad at me, you know?" she could see his eyes again from the space between the gurney and his raised arm, the blue eyes that so many times had been filled with hatred seemed somehow softer. "What did you do?"

She cleared her throat, not entirely comfortable with having a civil conversation with who had been until a few days before her worst enemy. "We had a discussion over a disagreement we had earlier". Sark actually laughed at that "You fought over me". Sidney actually had the decency to blush slightly and looked down. "It was more because of her threatening Vaughn because of you"

"She did?" his voice was full of disbelief, and a hint of pride. "Don't sound so surprised, she does have quite a temper"

"She's a Derevko after all" Sidney stood there, shocked at the slight teasing tone on his voice "And believe me, I know how quite her temper is"

Sidney shook her head, imagining her cousin yelling at a teenager Sark and chuckling at the memory. "Do you know if she's coming?" his voice brought her out of her small fantasy that it had escalated to her cousin smacking the man in front of her repeatedly over the head. "She stalked out after our fight, and that was a couple of hours ago". He nodded at her answer "You really care for her, don't you?"

"She's my cousin, she's family" Sark chuckled at that. "What?"

"When she was younger, if I remember correctly she must have been like eight" in his face appeared a smile Sidney had never seen before "I got home after training with Irina, ermm with your mother" at that he gave her a look "She was lying on her bed looking at something" he made a face, scrunching his eyes and nose as he tried to remember the exact detail "Like usual, I jumped into the bed besides her and as she wasn't paying attention to me I tried to get her attention" Sidney smiled as he pictured what Sark was telling her "I stole what she was looking at, just wanting her to pay attention to me not to what she was seeing, as you might have notice by now your cousin is a rather sensitive person who cries rather easily" Sidney nodded, remembering the last time she had seen her cry had been because of a stupid commercial. "She asked back for it, her voice cracking and since I have never been able to see her cry I gave in" He rolled his eyes and shook his head at his own words "So I returned it to her and snuggled with her, waiting for her to explain why that was so important" It was then when he once again gazed directly into Sidney's eyes "You know what it was?" Sidney shake her head, even though she knew it was more a rhetorical question than a real one "It was a picture of you".

At that Sidney's eyes gent huge "She had stolen it from Irina's vault" another chuckle, this time from both of them as if they were remembering an inside joke "She has always looked up to you, even before she knew what we were really doing"

"She really loves you" Sidney said as Sark finally quieted down. With a smirk on his face he answered "I know".

"Don't tell her I told you that"

* * *

**10 years ago**

Julian's eyes dropped close yet again as he tried to keep on watching the movie that was on the television. Alek's hand going through his hair were having the calming effect they usually had, and it seemed it wouldn't be long before he fell asleep while they watched a movie yet again. He lazily smiled up at Alek as he looked down at him, giving him a knowing smile as if she was doing that on purpose.

It was a Friday night, and fourteen year old Julian was lying on the couch at Alek's room, his head on her lap as she watched some crappy chick flick she had gotten Nancy, her nanny, to buy her. Julian closed his eyes as sleep try to take over as her hands slowly went through his hair, he couldn't help but smile as thoughts of kissing her came to his mind once more. It seemed like with each passing day, his need to kiss her and do other things that she was too young to do cross his mind.

He was fourteen now, and as years passed he had grown both physically and mentally. He was fourteen, so that meant that his hormones had started to go wild some time ago. He always was careful not to let her know how much her touch tended to affect him, since she was almost four years younger than him and much less experienced. He almost chuckled at that, it wasn't like he was that much experienced, but life as a rookie for Irina meant he had grown a lot quicker… in all aspects.

In the last year, he had noticed how she started to react to him too. Some things that used to be normal for her started to make her blush things like simple touches, when he smiled at her certain way, or like the last time he had sleep with her in her bed. It was a hot day, so he took his shirt off before lying down beside her. At first she seemed even shy to get close to him, thing that made him frown since this wasn't the first time they had sleep next or in each other's arms. It was after she fell asleep some time after, that he finally thought things over and understood what was going on… and he had laughed a long time quietly over that.

He felt as her fingers stopped running through his hair and opened his eyes. Her eyes were on the screen, watching closely every detail of the scene playing. As he turned to look he saw the protagonist go closer to a blond kid she keep calling the other protagonist name, even though it had been a ghost in the beginning, and start dancing. He saw as Alek smile softly, in such a girly way that he wanted to point out just to make her mad at him. He saw as they started floating, not really understanding why this was such a big deal for her until she softly sighed as they kissed.

He moved slightly so he could look at her expression better, but the movement alerted her of him not being asleep anymore. As she looked down at him, the softness of her expression as she looked at him won the better of him. Slowly he moved his hand to cup her cheek, tracing it softly with his thumb. As he gazed into her eyes he saw her start blushing softly, her eyes looking somewhere else as if embarrassed. "Hey" his voice barely above a whisper made her eyes return to gaze into his. Pushing himself up with his other hand, he slowly got closer to her face, his lips ascending towards hers. He felt, her start trembling softly as he got closer, a questioning look in her eyes. It seemed like she didn't realized what he was about to do until the last moment. As his lips were millimeters away from hers, she finally seemed to understand what was going on and her breath ragged a little.

He would never forget the look in her eyes as he finally closed the space between them and kissed her softly. It wasn't anything life changing, it was sweet and full of love. Almost as soon as he came close he separated from her, giving her a smile as he saw her open the eyes she had closed as he had kissed her.

Julian bit his crooked lip waiting for her reaction. Insecurities started to try to take over once he had done what he had did. What if it was just wishful thinking on his part that she had grown to love him as he loved her? Because even if he was young, he was not stupid and he knew that he loved her with everything he was.

As she slowly opened her eyes, the smile that appeared on her face drew all his fears away. He practically dropped himself on her lap once again, looking back at the TV as her hands started their earlier ministrations once more. He smiled, knowing without them speaking it, that it was going to be the start of many amazing things. But everything at its own time, he was happy to wait for her… he would wait until the world ended just to be able to stay right where he was.

* * *

**Present day**

As Alek walked into the home she shared with Sidney, she dropped her jacket over the table along with her keys. "Syd?" She called as she ventured more into their home "Here!" her voice made her go towards the kitchen, where her cousin was taking plates and glasses. Immediately, she started helping, taking a beer and a Pepsi from the fridge and the pizza box that was on the counter before walking towards the living room.

This was usual for the Derevko cousins, since they had started living together Wednesday were pizza night. Sometimes they were joined by Weiss or Vaughn, and even Jack once, but this time seemed like it was just the two of them.

Alek dropped herself in the rug by the table, opened the beer and put it in the place opposite of hers in the table. She opened her Pepsi and took a drink as Sidney passed her a plate and went to sit opposite to her, also in the rug. "I'm sorry" Alek said, her eyes in the bottle in front of her as her hands started to rip the tag. "I'm sorry too" Sidney said from her place "I shouldn't had said those things"

"Neither should I, it was wrong from me to threaten him" she finally had the courage to look at her cousin "You were right though, I would have done the same thing"

"So… we're good?" Alek asked as she reached for a slice of pizza. "Always" was Sidney said as she slapped Alek's hand away from the slice she was reaching for and took it for herself.

After that, all that was heard from their apartment was playful banter and a lot of teasing. Things were good between them, one had time to cool off while the other had some 'outside' perspective…

* * *

**People! Thanks for reading this, please review!**

**Also a special mention for those who can guess the movie Alek was watching with Julian ten years ago!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Don't cry for me**

Author: Santos J. Black

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Who truly is mysterious Mr.Sark?

Timeline: Everything up to the end of season 3, though a bit of AU.

Notes: I have no beta, so sorry for any mistakes. And also this is a story I had started to write like 4 years ago for SD-1 forum, now I'm older and I hope a bit better at English so it's re-written.

Thanks to: Marlies for reviewing...

* * *

"And this is bloody sunny California" Alek muttered the next day as she rushed to get back into the apartment she shared with her cousin from picking up the paper. When she had transferred from living in London, to LA she had assumed that it was the weather the TV and movies always portrayed LA to have, sunny and warm.

Sidney smiled as Alek entered the kitchen, still muttering about having moved partly to leave the damn cold. She shook her head as she took a part of the paper and sat in a stool, being aware of the still muttering Alek as she moved around the kitchen.

"There is some coffee if you want" she said as she read over the headline, hiding the smile she had on her face. "Hufff… so you tell me later how annoying I am? No thanks"

"Moody aren't we?"

"Bloody bite me, cousin" was the shorter woman's answer as she tossed something inside the toaster and jumped to sit on the counter. They stood that way, almost silently except for the noise Alek's heels made as she hit the doors under the counter. As soon as whatever she had put into the toaster came out, she jumped down and made way to her room.

Sidney shook her head as she stood to start to make her own breakfast as Alek started to get ready. She took everything to make an omelet from the fridge and was starting to make it when she heard the door open and her boyfriend's voice as he made his way to the kitchen while talking with Weiss.

"Good morning" Vaughn whispered to Sidney as he walked up to her and sweetly kissed her as he put his arms around her waist. It was only Weiss' voice that kept the kiss innocent.

"Breakfast?" was Sidney's question as Vaughn released her and went to sit besides Eric who was sitting in the stool previously occupied by Sidney.

* * *

Sark tried not to yell in frustration as he tried yet again to bring the fork with what was suppose to be his breakfast to his mouth. It was his fifth try, and not one bite had arrived to the goal which was his mouth. "Bloody cast, bloody wrist and bloody Vaughn" he mumbled as he practically threw away the tray with his food.

Sure, he was a spy, sure he was refined, suave, and everything that was the total opposite to clumsy… but the damned cast and the other bruised wrist (which he was almost sure was broken too but the damned CIA wanted him to suffer even more than he was already doing by keeping it just bandaged) were making it impossible to show that.

He wasn't back in his cell at least, the doctor had been afraid that he had a concussion as a result of him banging his head by 'accident' twice on a table, so he was in observation feet cuffed to the gurney his girl had taken him a day before. And now he was sitting in the bed, instead of lying down with nothing to look at expect the sealing if he was trying to avoid torticollis.

It was because of this position that he saw Director Dixon watching him. Not sure if he wanted to hide embarrassed of having lost his cool in front of someone or looking calm and collected as if his little outburst never happened (which of course was the one that won), he raised his eyebrows at the obvious stare of the ex-agent.

Dixon frowned before entering the room where he was being held "Mr. Sark"

"Director Dixon" was Sark only answer as he kept his eyes on the older man, almost in a daring manner.

"I have a proposition for you…"

* * *

**9 years ago**

"Now, that's defamation" Julian said as he made to grab Alek by the waist as she passed beside where he was lying on the couch in her room. "Sure thing" she said sarcastically as she swatted his hands away.

"You don't believe me?" he said, his voice with disbelief. "Nope" was all she answered as she moved to the bathroom that was adjoined to her room. Sark stood up and followed her, resting his shoulder on the door as he watched her try to control her wild mane.

"What can I do to prove it to you?" he smirked as he saw her jump slightly, not execting him so close. She glared at his reflection on the mirror as she continued to try and get her long black hair in a pony tail. "I know truth July, and you know it!"

He walked the few steps that separated them until he was standing behind her, he slowly slipped his arms around her waist before resting his chin on top of her head. "If for some reason, my work goes to waste because of you I'll tell everybody"

He rolled his eyes at her, moving one of his hands to take the one of hers that was already trying to do something else to her hair since he was messing it up, and entwined it with hers. "Now love, you won't tell because is not true"

"It's of course true" she said, her eyes connecting with his through the mirror "You got your ass kicked by a girl"

"I did not!" a frown on his face.

"Then what am I?"

"You" he said, turning her around "are" he lowered his mouth to her ear "my" he was whispering by then. He smiled as he felt her start shaking at his closeness. "girl" he slowly kissed her after that.

"Hey!" Alek said, hitting him in the chest with her free hand a few moments after. Sark's answer was picking her up and taking her back to her room, before he jumped into her bed still with her in her arms and land in a sea of limbs and laughter.

* * *

**Present day**

Sark smirked as he was practically shoved into a chair as soon as they entered the conference room. They uncuffed his hands and he had to suppress a laugh as he wasn't cuffed into the table. He watched as the officers left the room, leaving him alone with who had been already in the room when he had entered. "Director Dixon" he said with a nod "Agent Bristow" he resisted the urge to sneer at Jack, knowing that even if their deal paid off, this man would not have a problem with putting a bullet in his brain.

"Sark" Dixon said, sitting opposite of him with Jack standing behind him "Sign" he pushed some papers across the table, papers that he took and signed without reading. "You are not going to read them?" asked Jack, his voice with a hint of surprise.

"As I see it, Agent Bristow" Sark looked directly at him as he spoke, not giving away the fact that he was both as happy as he was ever going to get and scared enough to shit himself. "That deal, is as good as I'm ever going to take, as I signed I read the two things that I had requested where there" he put the pen down in the table in front of him.

"I'm sure Director Dixon is an honorable man" he continued "I'm sure that whatever it has as an extra, I will be informed"

Jack nodded, turned and left the room without another word. Sark raised his eyebrows at Dixon, who only shook his head. "Welcome Agent Sark"

"Thank you Director" he said with a smirk on his face "Now, would you know anything about where my suit ended up?"

Dixon signaled to someone who entered with a bag, put it in the table before leaving again. Dixon motioned towards the bag. Sark glared at him and stood, moving towards the bag. He clumsily opened it, and started to take out tha clothes that he had been wearing when he was brought in. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he took out his ruined suit, as if it was causing him physical pain.

"You may change into that" Dixon said while standing up and walking towards the door. "You have 5 minutes, Sark, we are having a meeting with some of your co-workers"

Sark nodded as a reflex since his mind was still on his ruined suit. Dixon shook his head and moved out of the room. It still took Sark a couple of minutes before he started to move, first taking off his pants before putting the old but still a lot more comfortable ones. The problem came at the moment of trying to buckle his pants, the cast and his other injured hand making it impossible to do. He huffed, and pulled the zipper up trying to make them stay in place. Then the shirt he was wearing came off, he threw it into the heap that his old pants were making in a corner of the office.

He took the wrinkle and slight smelly shirt and put it on, this time not even trying to button it. He took the shoes off the bag, took off the old ones and shoved his foot into the casual yet stylish Italian leather shoes he had been wearing the day he had been taken in.

The sound of someone clearing her throat was the only thing that took him back from glaring at the buttons, only to turn and encounter a blushing Sidney Bristow. "Agent Bristow" he said, nodding as if him standing in a CIA conference room without cuffs and with an open shirt was something that happened every day.

"I… mmm…" was all Sidney could answer as she tried to sit and not look at Sark's white almost pale but rather muscled chest. Sark smirked and sat in the chair opposite to Sidney's enjoying her discomfort. "So I guess you were expecting something like this?" Sark said after a few minutes, that Sidney had spent reading the papers inside the folder she had been carrying when she entered.

"Not really" she said, her eyes still on the folder.

"Ohh" was all he answered, not sure how to act around the older agent. They had been mortal enemies too long, not that he hated her or anything, but still… it was the first time he was truly going to be on 'her' side.

"Hey Sidney, what is this about" Eric Weiss asked as he entered the room and sat beside her, not really looking around at who was already sitting.

"Hello Agent Weiss"

Eric yelped and fell off his chair as he turned to look at the ex-convict. It was that what broke the tension that had started to built before he entered, since both Sidney and Sark started to laugh. Sidney stood from her chair and helped an embarrassed and laughing Eric back on his feet. "What is he doing here?" he whispered to Sidney as she helped him.

"Dad say he made a deal" was all she answered.

They were still laughing when someone pushed Sark back, making his chair fall backwards with him still on. Suddenly, Sark was against the floor with an Agent Vaughn chocking him. This time free, he threw him a punch with his casted hand that connected with the side of his face, making him loose his momentum and throwing him off balance. It was enough to give him a chance of standing up and stand face to face with Vaughn.

As the older agent threw him a punch, Sark moved out of the way and threw one of his own with his bandaged hand. Vaughn cried out in pain as the hit connected directly to his nose while Sark swore loudly as he shook his hand trying to ease the pain.

"Vaughn stop!" Sidney yelled as she ran to his side, pulling him back. He shook her off and went to hit Sark once again. This time Sark was not able to move out completely out of the way, and he connected to his shoulder. He was about to answer with one of his own when he felt someone hugging him from the side.

He might have spent too much time away from her, but he knew her touch like his own. He immediately stopped and turned to cover her, afraid that Vaughn in his rage would hit her while trying to hit him. Meanwhile Eric was helping Sidney restrain Vaughn, and between the two of them where able to push him into a chair.

"What the hell is happening here?" Dixon practically yelled as he and Jack entered the room, only to find the situation as it was.

"Nothing, Director Dixon" Vaughn said through his teeth, as he shook off Sidney and Weiss, who sat at each side of him just in case. Sark nodded as he picked the chair he was previously using from the floor, motioned to Alek to sit on it before sitting in the one beside her.

"Now to the matter at hand" Dixon started. Sark searched for Alek's hand with his bandaged one under the table and once he found it entwined it with his, while both seem to pay attention. "Mr. Sark" he nodded towards Sark "accepted a deal the CIA made with him".

Before anyone tried to start protesting "This was something the people from upstairs wanted us to make" Dixon explained "We tried before, but we were unable to have an offer good enough for him to take over lifetime of solitude"

Sidney's gaze turned to look at Sark as Dixon said this, she knew what had changed but that had been enough to make this man accept whatever was stipulated in the contract?

"I still don't trust this" Vaughn said "Now it seems too easy, doesn't it?" he said, this time glaring not only at Sark but at Alek too.

"What are you trying to imply Mike?" Alek answered, her voice rising slightly.

"What do you think I'm implying?"

"Vaughn, stop!" Sidney was the one to cut him off before he said anything more. "You more than anyone should be suspicious of this Sidney" he turned his rant to her. "Suddenly you have a cousin who is an agent and who for some reason after founding out that Sark is in CIA prison transfers here"

"That's enough!" Jack's voice was heard over Vaughn's, making him shut up. Silence reigned on the room as Sidney looked at her cousin in front of her; Alek looked like Vaughn had just slapped her. "How could you think that of me Mike?" she whispered, her eyes full of betrayal.

As Vaughn looked at her, he finally came to realize what he had said. "Ale, I didn't…"

She just shook her head and turned to look at Dixon, her eyes begging for him to continue.

"I assure you, Agent Vaughn, that Agent Derevko's alliance is no other than to this organization, you should not fear that" Jack's tone left no room for any comments as Dixon continued with what he was saying.

"Now, there are a few of the terms of the deal that are of your clearance" he nodded as he looked at them "Mr. Sark has been injected with two tracking devices" at that he gave a glare to the blond spy "Each one has a letal dose of venom, that will automatically inject itself into his bloodstream in case one of them stop operating"

"Other than that, we are taking other measures since we all know of Mr. Sark previous modus operandi" At that Vaughn glared even more at Sark, who gave him a smug smirk. "Agent Weiss" Dixon turned his direction to the other agent, trying to ignore the thing between Vaughn and Sark.

"You and Agent Bristow" he nodded at Sidney "Are going to be in charge, as to speak, of Mr. Sark" when he said that, Sark stopped having his pissing contest with Vaughn and turned to look at Dixon.

"What?" he said, his voice surprised "I don't need bloody babysitters"

"Mr. Sark" Dixon said, sounding more serious than before "That was part of what was stipulated in the deal, you know what is the price to pay of those stipulations are broken"

"As I was saying" he cleared his throat between continuing "You both are responsible of him once he's outside this building. So I suggest that were you go, he goes" Sidney groaned at that, just what she needed.

Weiss looked at Sidney before he nodded, knowing it was an order not a suggestion.

"You are all dismissed, see you all on Monday"

Everybody stood up and started to move out the room, Sark walked behind Alek not letting too much distance between them.

"Except Agent Derevko"

Alek groaned as she turned to go back to where she was sitting. Sark stood there for a minute, looking at Alek not sure of what to do. At Dixon glare, he gave Alek a small smile before exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as he was out of the conference room, all the people in the bull pen stood quiet as if in shock that he was standing there…free. He sneered at them and moved to where he saw Weiss sitting, flopping in the chair that stood in the desk besides where he was sitting.

"I hope she's not in trouble"

Weiss turned to look at Sark, only to see him looking at the conference room's closed door. "I doubt it" he started to tap the pen he was holding on the side of his desk "I think he's more like giving her a warning"

Sark nodded, turning on the chair and looking at the desk he was sitting on. "He's wrong, you know"

Weiss threw the pen on top of his desk before answering "Mike?" at Sark's nod he continued "I never doubted that"

At his raised eyebrow he chuckled "She might have a 'thing'" he made quotation marks at that "for you, but Ale is Ale… if you get what I'm trying to say"

"Trust me, more than anything"

"You should button that" he said, making a gesture towards Sark's open shirt.

"Do I make you uncomfortable, agent Weiss?"

"No, but experiencing almost at first hand , how Alek gets when you are somehow involved…" he chuckled "I would not like to see what she would do to those girls" he gestured to a bunch of women that were staring at Sark as he turned on the chair over and over again.

Sark turned to look at them and smirked, his shoulders shaking in laughter as he saw a couple of them blush. He was about to turn to say something to Weiss when someone smacked the back of his head.

"Eric, you are suppose to be babysitting him"

"I do not need a babysitter" was Sark answer as he turned to look at Alek as he rubbed the back of his head where she had hit him.

"Hey, don't look at me" Weiss raised his arms in front of him as if in defense "I didn't know that came with the job"

Sark rolled his eyes and pulled her from the waist. Alek lost her balance, since she was giving her back to Sark as she was talking to Weiss. Sark smirked at Eric as he put his arms around a now sitting on his lap Alek. "See agent Weiss, this way they are not able to stare"

Weiss was about to start laughing until he saw the glare Vaughn was giving him from the other side of the room where he was arguing with Sidney, which promptly made him shut up.

"Julian!" Alek scolded at him as she tried to stand, not comfortable with the fact that everybody was watching them. Sark's hold became stronger, not letting her do what she wanted to.

"Come on Love" he whispered to her ear as she gave up and rested her back on his chest "Protect me, please?" she turned a little to look at him "I feel like they are undressing me with their eyes"

Alek laughed at that and shook her head as she looked at Weiss who just chuckled and shook his back.

Her laughter finally died down, and they both stayed quiet as they watched her cousin argue with Vaughn at the distance. "I love you" Sark whispered softly in her ear as Sidney walked away from Vaughn, towards them.

Alek tried again to stand up, with Sark helping her this time just as Sidney reached them. "Here" she said, handling something to Sark. He raised his eyebrows as he took it "It's your ID so you can walk in here on Monday without being shot at"

He nodded and clip it to his shirt "How do I look?" he asked Alek, moving back making a hand gesture motioning to himself.

Alek laughed and pulled him closed by his sleeves. "You would look better with your shirt closed" she answered as she started to button down the shirt. "Would I?" he looked at Sidney "I think your cousin thinks differently" Sidney started to turn beet red, thing that made them crack up.

"Behave" she told him, as she played with the collar of his shirt once she had finished. "Though I might have to agree with Sidney after all"

"Shut up" was her cousin's only answer as she moved pass them towards the elevators. As she was nearing the open elevator's doors she called back at them "If you don't move and shut up, you stay"

* * *

_Was it the right decision?_

Jack typed in his laptop as he stood in a parking garage, logged on a public chat, later that day.

_He's loyal to no one…_

He swore loudly and started to type

_Then he has to be eliminated_

As he was about to hit enter with his answer when another IM appeared

_Except to her_

He frowned, selected the previous message and erased it before writing a new one

_Are you sure?_

He smirked as he read her last reply before closing the laptop and driving away.

* * *

The moment they exited the CIA elevator on the floor where Sidney had parked, Alek put one of her arms around Julian's waist snuggling to him as he put his left arm around her shoulders hugging her to him. Sidney wanted to hate Sark so much, but for some weird reason she was not able to.

Alek saw Sidney shift uncomfortable as the walked towards her car, she moved from Sark's side and walked faster leaving Sark to walk besides Weiss as she bumped on Sidney's shoulder as if trying to get her attention.

Sidney turned to look at her and gave her a smile "You are actually leaving his side?" she asked her, in a whisper looking at a cool looking Sark smirk at an almost afraid looking Weiss as they walked a few feet behind them to let them talk.

Alek giggled at that and bumped her on the shoulder again. "I'm sorry, you know… about Vaughn"

Sidney shrugged "He was out of line" she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as with the other hand she pressed the control button to unlock her SUV.

Alek walked around the vehicle and jumped on the passenger sit, wanting to talk to her cousin before Weiss and Sark could hear. "I know you hate him" She said, looking down at her hands not daring to look at Sidney as she got on the driver's sit "But I'm sure that if you just give him a chance…"

Sidney's hand on top of hers made her stop, the smile on her cousin's face saying all she needed to know.

A huff made them look at the back sit as Sark was almost shoved inside to the back by an impatient Weiss. At their looks he shrugged "He refused to get on"

"I told you Agent Weiss" Sark's voice full of annoyance "I was letting them talk in peace" He smirked at Alek as she turned on her sit to be able to look at them better as Sidney put the SUV in reverse and got out of the parking space.

"I'm saying this once Sark" Sidney's tone made Julian's eyes connect with hers through the review mirror "Drop the Agent thing, is annoying and unnerving"

"Yes ma'am"

"Let's just go home, I'm tired" Alek plead as she tried to act as a referee before anything happened that would require the use of a gun.

"I'm hungry… are we going to have dinner soon?"

"I'm hungry too"

"I might be more tired than hungry… think we can order in?" the plead on Alek's big eyes made Sidney groan in frustration. "I'm not really hungry, so… Eric?"

"Why does he get a say when I was the one to state the need to have dinner?"

"Because while you are our charge, Eric is our friend"

Weiss gave mocking smile at Sark as he included himself onto the conversation "Pizza?"

"it was pizza Thursday yesterday, Chinese?" Alek said as she lay on the passenger sit with her eyes closed, dosing off.

"It's alright with me" Sidney said, turning to look at Weiss at a red light.

"I'll call Mr. Whoo so the food arrives at the same time as we" He said as he started to dial the number he had memorized.

"Hello Lee my man!"

"Yes… I want the usual, wait a bit…"

"What do you want this time Ale?"

Ale drowsily opened her eyes and looked at Sark "I want the rolls, the chicken with broccoli and the sweet pork but remember…"

"No sesame seeds… I know"

Alek gave Julian a sleepy smile before he saw as she let sleep overcome her as they continued their travesty through LA to what seem to be 'home'

* * *

**8 years ago**

"Jules?" Alek whispered as she entered the room Julian shared with other 3 boys. She had seen as he entered the house from her window, she had waited for him but he never showed up. It was at midnight that she had gotten sick with worry, since he always visited as soon as he arrived so she could stop worrying, and had decided that if he didn't came to her she would go to him.

She walked further into the room, and silently made her way to the bed she knew was Julian's. She passed the first bunker bed, where Ted and Marcus were sleeping rather soundly. She finally arrived to the other bunker, where Julian's bed was. She looked at the top bed, only to find it perfectly made a sign that James was not back from wherever they had been. With a shrug she moved and sat on the bed, next to an unrecognizable mass.

"July" she whispered as she gently shook where she hope was his shoulder. She felt the mass tremble slightly at her touch, so she shook it a little more roughly leaning closer. "Go away" was Julian's muffled answer, his voice shaky while the mass shook once more.

Slowly, Alek took the top of the sheet that was covering the mass she now knew was Julian and pulled it down. She gasped as she uncovered a pale shaking Julian.

"Julian" she whispered more forcefully, resting the palm of her hand on his cheek smiling softly as she slowly opened his eyes. "Midget?"

"Hey handsome" she whispered, leaning to kiss him in the forehead.

"What are you doing here?"

"You don't want me here?" She started to stand when his eyes filled with panic and his hand shot up to grab hers.

"Come on" she used the hand that had shot out as she stood up to pull him out of the bed. He groaned but let her pull him up. Without a word, he let her pull him besides her as she started to walk out of the shared room.

"I'm sorry"

Her only answer was giving him a squeeze with the arm she had warped around his waist as she helped him move. She closed the door to her room as they passed with a well measured kick, it was so measured that the door closed with a soft 'click'.

"There" she said as she helped him lay down on her bed, content with the fact that the sixteen, six feet tall boy was lying in a bed big enough for him and not in those small things Irina had them sleeping on.

Julian made to grab the quilt, to try and drive the cold away but Alek's hold on it stopped him. "I'm so cold" he said, his blue eyes glassy while his voice was pleading.

Alek gave him a sat smile and sat on the bed, her back pressed to the wall as the moved Julian so he was partly lying on her lap. She put one of her arms around his front, securing him close while her free hand ran through his hair.

"I know you're cold, baby" she whispered to him, as she continued to try and soothe him while he shivered "But it's better this way" she kissed his forehead as she continued checking in case his fever went even higher.

She didn't realized when it was that she had started rocking him softly, back and forth.

"Do you feel warmer?"

Julian just shook his head slightly, too tired and hurting all over to do so. Alek put her hand to his forehead and gasped as how hot it felt. "Julian, baby?" she asked, trying to get a response out of him.

"Yah?" his barely a whisper answer was more than she was hoping. The thirteen year old girl continued caressing his hair and his face, trying to make him feel better while he was in this state "Did you took anything?"

When his body started to shake with his cough she hugged him closely, cringing at how bad it sounded. After the episode he shook his head in negative.

"Alright love" she said using one of the names he used while talking to her "I'm going to get you something so you feel better, I'll be right back"

He groaned as she moved from under him, his barely open eyes following her as she moved to enter her bathroom. She came back a small while later, her fist closed and a glass of water on her hand. Julian frowned slightly as he heard she had opened the shower.

She helped him sit before showing him that she was holding on her fist two red pills "Open" she said softly, to what he obliged. She put the pills on his mouth before raising the glass of water to with lips. He took a gulp, passing the pills before he put his arms around her, hugging himself to her.

They stood like that a couple of minutes, Julian with his head on Alek's chest as he had his arms around her while she ran her hands trough his sweat filled hair and back. "July" she said softly a little later "I'm going to need your help, You have to stand up..."

He looked up at her, his blue eyes still glassy thing that unnerved her more than anything. She pulled away and with a lot of struggle was able to put him up from the bed. She slowly started to make way with him towards the bathroom she had left just moments ago. Julian just followed her lead, half leaning on her, but even in his state knowing that if he leaned too much he would fall because of the lack of support her small girlfriend could give him and the fact that he probably weighted almost what would be the equivalent of two of hers.

Alek stopped to push the shower curtain away, not caring about the water that started to poor to the bathroom floor. She braced herself as she walked into the shower fully clothe first, dragging Julian with her.

She heard his gasp as the cold water made contact with his hot skin. His eyes shot wide open, the glossy look disappearing as he stood shocked. "Shhh, shhh" she said as she maneuvered them so she was hugging him from behind so the water was falling directly onto him.

She heard his whimper and she just pressed her face onto his back, holding him with more strength. His hand found hers, and she gripped them in front of his stomach not sure if he was looking for the contact or trying to make her let go of him.

She felt as his temperature started going down, his trembling almost stopped and the whimpers disappeared. "Come on" she whispered against his back as she moved to one side her arms still around his waist. He moved along with her as she dragged him back to her bedroom. Once they made it to the bed, she made him sit before running back to the room closing the water and grabbing three towels.

She reached a wide awake but still aloof Julian, throwing the towels to her bed before she started to pull at his night shirt without saying anything. That brought him back… "Hey!" his hoarse voice said as he tried to stop the pulling blushing slightly.

"I need you put of those clothes" he might have been sick but he was still a teenager, so he smirked at her "So you won't get even more sick" she told him with a roll of her eyes. He let her help him take off his shirt, which she threw into a heap by the bathroom door.

She then took one of the towels and started to dry him with it. "I think I can do that…" he said to her, his eyes looking at her tenderly. "Ohh… sure" The disappointment in her voice making him take her hand as she took a step back, leaving the towel around his neck.

He gave her a small smile before he started to have a fit of coughing again. Alek walked to him, standing between his open legs as she hugged him to her rubbing his back as the coughing continued. Once it stopped, she moved back ran a hand trough his hair before going towards her closet.

Julian let out a small whimper as he lost contact with her, before he took the towel and rubbed it against his hair. Alek put something besides him before she turned to him putting a hand to his cheek "Take the rest of your clothes, put those on…" he nodded as he watched her move to the bathroom and close the door.

Painfully he rose and pulled down his pants and boxers, using one of the other towels to dry his lower half, slowly since he felt tired and everything hurt. He pulled on some of his old boxers Alek had stolen from him to sleep on, and a sweatshirt before dropping the towels by the bed and crawling back in it.

"Everything ok?" he heard Alek call from behind the closed door, at his silence she opened the door slightly peeking just in case he hadn't finished changing. She smiled at him as she saw him looking sleepily at her from his side of her bed dressed on the Manchester united sweatshirt and his old boxers.

He, without talking since that had proven to be against him at the moment, extended a hand towards her which she took walking to the bed. She took the position she had shared with him before the bathroom ordeal, but this time after touching his forehead pulling the quilt around him.

It was in that position that Nancy found them in the morning.

* * *

**Ok guys... that's it so far... I wasn't too convince to send this but well... I'm stuck! so a little help would be nice, what do you think? please review even if just to tell me I do some stuff wrong or anything like that... please?**


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